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School Instructor

Today I run into my refrigeration school instructor at Johnstone . We started talking and he doesn't teach anymore .The reason for quitting is that he tired of the school not doing a better job to teach the students .Instead just making money off the students . Now he's back on the field and he's the best instructor in the school .

Okay, You started it. Tech schools today are bullsh**t. You said it, Just in it for the money. Was thinking about when I went to school way back when. Just cram as many students in the class as can fit. Pick a few favs and teach them while the others just get by. Pass everybody because it would look bad for the school if people failed. Teach very little hands on and tons of theory. Charge 20 thousand dollars. Lie by saying you have 90% job placement. Have unqualified instructors. Ok, Before all you good instructors start griping at me this is not meant for you. I know this is not every school. I know that some are better then others. I just think that there should be limits to how many students each school is allowed to push through a year. I think that there should be some state criteria(not bullcrap criteria) that each school should follow. It is ashamed how many students get pushed through these schools every year and never even see the inside of a hvac shop. Sorry for the rant. Lets not forget about over crowding of classes and justify it by hiring an aid to help out(who just graduated from the same school the prior year but could not find a job and is now qualified to teach).

Perhaps the best idea is to have entrance requirements other than a check. That way, you know if a student can be taught.

Even an unmotivated person can pass an entrance exam.. Seen some pretty "interesting" individuals who would have passed the entrance exam out there - on the iphone surfing porn all day long, not being able to stfu, cell phone alarm clocks going off mid-morning. They might have landed something in the field

I feel that any HVAC training must include an exit exam. Yes some sort of entrance exam would be good. But everyone learns at their own pace. Making sure the "graduate" knows the basics. Not only the classroom basics, but the field basics. How things work in the real world. Take him/her up to a 20 year old rooftop to fix, not a unit that sat in the shop for a year with no weather beating it up.

Of course these schools have to produce a profit to survive, but in reality more competent technicians would be made by charging them say 10K to work as an apprentice right in the field without any classroom and then given an assignment at night to study up on subcool, superheat and Ohm's Law. Because tomorrow they will put that knowledge to work.

It would be interesting to find out how many people who go to a school for this trade actually end up doing it for a living. I will bet that it is about the same percentage as college gads to follow their major in college.

Also the schools have to quit telling their enrollees that they will start at 30-40k a year when they graduate. Just not true.

Can someone please explain to me -
Why is there never enough time to do it right the first time, but plenty of time to do it twice?

When I changed careers 23 years ago, I was helping out a friend who was a 1 man shop. He needed more help, I suggested he talk to the school I was signed up to go to. He said he didn't want any of those losers. Oh boy, what was I in for. He was right. 90% of them were losers. We were an "at your own pace" school. Few showed up at the beginning of the quarter but as the end appeared they finally came and hustled through to get a passing grade. Great for me, no wait to get to the instructor or equipment. The instructor was a "good old boy" whose charging method was a cold suction line and heat coming off the condenser. Sure could have used MechAcc to teach us the right way of doing things

I'm not sure if anyone in town is teaching HVAC anymore. Most dropped in favor of more IT classes. Our last few young people have been more taught on the job and that's working out well since they are sharp with good attitudes.

I currently attend The Refrigeration School in PHX AZ. It's an excellent school. The instructors are great and the classrooms have so much equipment and units to offer for experience. I'm half way through my program. So far ive had res/comerc electric wiring, fundamentals of electricity, solar, Fund of refrigeration and now im in gas furnace and heat pumps. YOU NEED TO APPLY YOURSELF 210%. The instructors are more than happy to answer any question, their actually dying for questions that are not in the books because the schools teach basic info that only gives you the science of thermodynamics. Ive learned so much more from asking questions about what they experience on the jobs and what jobs they have done and how theyve built their reputation to get these acccounts on their own for side work. You have to be personal with these guys and their more than willing to open up and share everything about this field.

I go to school on the weekend class because 98% of the people there are taking it serious cause their giving up their weekends to be there so i recommend weekends if your school offers it. sat & sun 10 hrs a day 1 yr program.

I study these books wer'e given every night, do research online and then when my weekend class is coming up I ask every single possible question i have, and no one laughs if its the easiest or "stupidest" question because when your in school theres no stupid questions even if you ask it 3 times, that just means your not fully understanding it. So for anyone interested in school before a career, i feel your making a great desicion for building a strong career.

I currently attend The Refrigeration School in PHX AZ. It's an excellent school. The instructors are great and the classrooms have so much equipment and units to offer for experience. I'm half way through my program. So far ive had res/comerc electric wiring, fundamentals of electricity, solar, Fund of refrigeration and now im in gas furnace and heat pumps. YOU NEED TO APPLY YOURSELF 210%. The instructors are more than happy to answer any question, their actually dying for questions that are not in the books because the schools teach basic info that only gives you the science of thermodynamics. Ive learned so much more from asking questions about what they experience on the jobs and what jobs they have done and how theyve built their reputation to get these acccounts on their own for side work. You have to be personal with these guys and their more than willing to open up and share everything about this field.

I go to school on the weekend class because 98% of the people there are taking it serious cause their giving up their weekends to be there so i recommend weekends if your school offers it. sat & sun 10 hrs a day 1 yr program.

I study these books wer'e given every night, do research online and then when my weekend class is coming up I ask every single possible question i have, and no one laughs if its the easiest or "stupidest" question because when your in school theres no stupid questions even if you ask it 3 times, that just means your not fully understanding it. So for anyone interested in school before a career, i feel your making a great desicion for building a strong career.

Totally agree. When I went back to school 20 years ago to switch fields, a bunch of the "students" were in there from automotive companies retraining programs. Total waste of space and money. The better students were paying their way like me, had a motivation and goal to achieve.